Steven Soetens | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (original) (raw)
Papers by Steven Soetens
The history of the coastal environment in the North Sea area reconsidered, 2013
This paper demonstrates that methodologies from various disciplines can be utilised to explain th... more This paper demonstrates that methodologies from various disciplines can be utilised to explain the coastal development of the southern North Sea during the last 3000 years. The potential and uses of archaeological data are tested against the applicability of delivering data for reconstructing sea level or local water level curves. Geology, archaeology, and historical geography are disciplines that assess changes in absolute and regional sea levels, deposition, subsidence, or rises in surface level. In this paper a selection of the national archaeological database (ARCHIS2) from the western Netherlands is presented as archaeological proxy data that might help reconstruct the relationship between occupational history and landscape development. The case study around Katwijk in the western Netherlands presents the known history and geology of the area, as well as the archaeological data present. Results show that data within ARCHIS2 is of too poor quality and that even with the help of excavation reports the required resolution for reconstructing local water level curves is currently not present in the recorded data. Archaeological data that has been recorded generally lacks precision in data location (x, y, and z) and generally does not have an absolute time control. The ideal database or model is the creation of a GIS (Geographic Information System) that can integrate data from the different disciplines. All data should be transparent and have a spatial and temporal resolution, so that data from different disciplines can corroborate each other. Its accuracy can then be compared so the better dataset to provide the optimal insight into landscape change associated with the sizes of coastal inlets and the local variations of tidal amplitudes.
Institute of Mediterranean Studies, 1999
Geojournal Library, 2009
ABSTRACT The steadily growing bond between Geo-ICT and archaeology, which follows from the inhere... more ABSTRACT The steadily growing bond between Geo-ICT and archaeology, which follows from the inherently spatial nature of the archaeological record and its interdisciplinary character, involves a wide range of spatial applications from subsurface modelling to distribution maps and predictive modelling. Despite the potential of Geo-ICT for archaeology, its penetration in the discipline is not as extensive as might be expected. The role of education and the approach to technology and information science that archaeologists have adopted are important factors in this development. More specifically, the adoption of Geo-ICT in archaeology is influenced by the field of activity, the nature of the archaeological record and the theoretical perspective. The last factor is particularly influential because it determines which concept of human space is used and consequently the most feasible Geo-ICT methods. Archaeologists are less worried about the geomodelling framework than about the lack of financial resources for software, data and basic training, the limitations of Geo-ICT methods for 3D and temporal modelling, and problems of data conversion and sustainability. The integration of Geo-ICT in archaeology would benefit from a new theoretical framework, together with a concerted effort from different sciences to set up campus-wide support and Geo-ICT infrastructure for multidisciplinary research and collaboration. KeywordsArchaeology-Archaeological heritage management-AHM- Geo-ICT-Geographical information systems-Geomodelling-GIS-Mobile GIS-Predictive modelling
Institute of Mediterranean Studies, 1999
Landscape Archaeology between Art and Science
Testing of mathematic predictive modeling for accurate location of archaeological sites. The mode... more Testing of mathematic predictive modeling for accurate location of archaeological sites. The model was applied on Protopalatial settlements of Malia-Lasithi region.
Landscape Archaeology between Art and Science, 2012
The current study considers a mixed environmental/historical statistical model to establish a pro... more The current study considers a mixed environmental/historical statistical model to establish a probability map for settlement locations in Crete's Malia-Lasithi region during the Minoan Protopalatial period. The work represents the continuation of previous research that focused on site location choices during the Protopalatial and whereby a comparison was made between the performances of a purely environmental over a mixed environmental/historical model. Statistical modelling consisted of fitting a logistic regression model using a Deletion/Substitution/Addition (DSA) algorithm for model selection. Model uncertainty was assessed through calculation of confidence intervals at the 95% confidence level and the results are presented as probability maps that show upper and lower interval endpoints for the study area. Assessment of the model's predictive performance, on both the study area and on an independent validation area, indicates that the model is able to capture some underlying structure that determines preferences for site locations. Moreover there is a general agreement between the generated settlement probability map and many of the existing published survey results. The results obtained demonstrate the usefulness of the modeling approach and we expect that the existing model can be further improved in the future by incorporating more survey data. The authors would like to thank the Institute for Mediterranean Studies-FORTH for having kindly provided most of the raw data used in this study. We would also like to thank the editors and reviewers of the LAC2010 proceedings for their kind comments which have greatly benefitted the current paper. references
Magnetometers, multi-frequency electromagnetic induction sensors, multi-point electrical resistiv... more Magnetometers, multi-frequency electromagnetic induction sensors, multi-point electrical resistivity prospecting instruments and ground-penetrating radar have been employed jointly during 1992 and 1998 in Shangqiu area, northern China, an archaeologically important region of investigating the origin of Shang civilization. The study was supported as part of the collaborative projects" Archaeological Investigation of Early Shang Civilization in China" between Harvard University's Peabody Museum and the ...
BAR INTERNATIONAL SERIES, 2008
Archeologia e calcolatori, 2002
Within the broad spectrum of Minoan site types, one group stands out for its specific topographic... more Within the broad spectrum of Minoan site types, one group stands out for its specific topographical location: the peak sanctuaries. Peak sanctuaries are characterized by their closeness to mountain peaks (Fig. 1) and a specific cult apparatus (RUTKOWSKI 1988, 73-98; PEATFIELD 1990, 117-119; NOWICKI 1994, 33-35). Most commonly found are animal and human figurines, pottery and often a pebble scatter. The peak sanctuary can also display ash layers, architectural remains, bronze, and Linear A inscriptions, which are characteristic for the peak ...
This paper presents the preliminary results of building a cultural landscape model of Minoan peak... more This paper presents the preliminary results of building a cultural landscape model of Minoan peak sanctuaries through a GIS approach. It is part of the wider framework project "The Topography of Power" 1 in Minoan Crete. The reconstruction of the peak sanctuaries' landscape was based on the accurate mapping of them and their surrounding settlements through high accuracy GPS receivers and the analysis of their spatial distribution within a SPOT generated DEM. Viewsheds were exploited in order to address questions related to Minoan peak sanctuaries with respect to their topographic settings. A relational database containing the existing archaeological information was implemented to the GIS in order to provide sufficient evidence for the formation of the ritual/cultural landscape of the Minoan period. The peak sanctuary landscape is presented in two distinctive chronological acmes, roughly Proto-and Neopalatial, with the transition from the first to the second period, and in relation to nearby settlements and burial sites.
Peak sanctuaries are distributed unevenly over the island of Crete. They date from the end of the... more Peak sanctuaries are distributed unevenly over the island of Crete. They date from the end of the Early Minoan period to the beginning of the Second Palace Period, and can be found on or close to mountain peaks. They were identified as
The history of the coastal environment in the North Sea area reconsidered, 2013
This paper demonstrates that methodologies from various disciplines can be utilised to explain th... more This paper demonstrates that methodologies from various disciplines can be utilised to explain the coastal development of the southern North Sea during the last 3000 years. The potential and uses of archaeological data are tested against the applicability of delivering data for reconstructing sea level or local water level curves. Geology, archaeology, and historical geography are disciplines that assess changes in absolute and regional sea levels, deposition, subsidence, or rises in surface level. In this paper a selection of the national archaeological database (ARCHIS2) from the western Netherlands is presented as archaeological proxy data that might help reconstruct the relationship between occupational history and landscape development. The case study around Katwijk in the western Netherlands presents the known history and geology of the area, as well as the archaeological data present. Results show that data within ARCHIS2 is of too poor quality and that even with the help of excavation reports the required resolution for reconstructing local water level curves is currently not present in the recorded data. Archaeological data that has been recorded generally lacks precision in data location (x, y, and z) and generally does not have an absolute time control. The ideal database or model is the creation of a GIS (Geographic Information System) that can integrate data from the different disciplines. All data should be transparent and have a spatial and temporal resolution, so that data from different disciplines can corroborate each other. Its accuracy can then be compared so the better dataset to provide the optimal insight into landscape change associated with the sizes of coastal inlets and the local variations of tidal amplitudes.
Institute of Mediterranean Studies, 1999
Geojournal Library, 2009
ABSTRACT The steadily growing bond between Geo-ICT and archaeology, which follows from the inhere... more ABSTRACT The steadily growing bond between Geo-ICT and archaeology, which follows from the inherently spatial nature of the archaeological record and its interdisciplinary character, involves a wide range of spatial applications from subsurface modelling to distribution maps and predictive modelling. Despite the potential of Geo-ICT for archaeology, its penetration in the discipline is not as extensive as might be expected. The role of education and the approach to technology and information science that archaeologists have adopted are important factors in this development. More specifically, the adoption of Geo-ICT in archaeology is influenced by the field of activity, the nature of the archaeological record and the theoretical perspective. The last factor is particularly influential because it determines which concept of human space is used and consequently the most feasible Geo-ICT methods. Archaeologists are less worried about the geomodelling framework than about the lack of financial resources for software, data and basic training, the limitations of Geo-ICT methods for 3D and temporal modelling, and problems of data conversion and sustainability. The integration of Geo-ICT in archaeology would benefit from a new theoretical framework, together with a concerted effort from different sciences to set up campus-wide support and Geo-ICT infrastructure for multidisciplinary research and collaboration. KeywordsArchaeology-Archaeological heritage management-AHM- Geo-ICT-Geographical information systems-Geomodelling-GIS-Mobile GIS-Predictive modelling
Institute of Mediterranean Studies, 1999
Landscape Archaeology between Art and Science
Testing of mathematic predictive modeling for accurate location of archaeological sites. The mode... more Testing of mathematic predictive modeling for accurate location of archaeological sites. The model was applied on Protopalatial settlements of Malia-Lasithi region.
Landscape Archaeology between Art and Science, 2012
The current study considers a mixed environmental/historical statistical model to establish a pro... more The current study considers a mixed environmental/historical statistical model to establish a probability map for settlement locations in Crete's Malia-Lasithi region during the Minoan Protopalatial period. The work represents the continuation of previous research that focused on site location choices during the Protopalatial and whereby a comparison was made between the performances of a purely environmental over a mixed environmental/historical model. Statistical modelling consisted of fitting a logistic regression model using a Deletion/Substitution/Addition (DSA) algorithm for model selection. Model uncertainty was assessed through calculation of confidence intervals at the 95% confidence level and the results are presented as probability maps that show upper and lower interval endpoints for the study area. Assessment of the model's predictive performance, on both the study area and on an independent validation area, indicates that the model is able to capture some underlying structure that determines preferences for site locations. Moreover there is a general agreement between the generated settlement probability map and many of the existing published survey results. The results obtained demonstrate the usefulness of the modeling approach and we expect that the existing model can be further improved in the future by incorporating more survey data. The authors would like to thank the Institute for Mediterranean Studies-FORTH for having kindly provided most of the raw data used in this study. We would also like to thank the editors and reviewers of the LAC2010 proceedings for their kind comments which have greatly benefitted the current paper. references
Magnetometers, multi-frequency electromagnetic induction sensors, multi-point electrical resistiv... more Magnetometers, multi-frequency electromagnetic induction sensors, multi-point electrical resistivity prospecting instruments and ground-penetrating radar have been employed jointly during 1992 and 1998 in Shangqiu area, northern China, an archaeologically important region of investigating the origin of Shang civilization. The study was supported as part of the collaborative projects" Archaeological Investigation of Early Shang Civilization in China" between Harvard University's Peabody Museum and the ...
BAR INTERNATIONAL SERIES, 2008
Archeologia e calcolatori, 2002
Within the broad spectrum of Minoan site types, one group stands out for its specific topographic... more Within the broad spectrum of Minoan site types, one group stands out for its specific topographical location: the peak sanctuaries. Peak sanctuaries are characterized by their closeness to mountain peaks (Fig. 1) and a specific cult apparatus (RUTKOWSKI 1988, 73-98; PEATFIELD 1990, 117-119; NOWICKI 1994, 33-35). Most commonly found are animal and human figurines, pottery and often a pebble scatter. The peak sanctuary can also display ash layers, architectural remains, bronze, and Linear A inscriptions, which are characteristic for the peak ...
This paper presents the preliminary results of building a cultural landscape model of Minoan peak... more This paper presents the preliminary results of building a cultural landscape model of Minoan peak sanctuaries through a GIS approach. It is part of the wider framework project "The Topography of Power" 1 in Minoan Crete. The reconstruction of the peak sanctuaries' landscape was based on the accurate mapping of them and their surrounding settlements through high accuracy GPS receivers and the analysis of their spatial distribution within a SPOT generated DEM. Viewsheds were exploited in order to address questions related to Minoan peak sanctuaries with respect to their topographic settings. A relational database containing the existing archaeological information was implemented to the GIS in order to provide sufficient evidence for the formation of the ritual/cultural landscape of the Minoan period. The peak sanctuary landscape is presented in two distinctive chronological acmes, roughly Proto-and Neopalatial, with the transition from the first to the second period, and in relation to nearby settlements and burial sites.
Peak sanctuaries are distributed unevenly over the island of Crete. They date from the end of the... more Peak sanctuaries are distributed unevenly over the island of Crete. They date from the end of the Early Minoan period to the beginning of the Second Palace Period, and can be found on or close to mountain peaks. They were identified as